some gems in today's Down Goes Brown

[sabresfaninthesouth]

The Handoff: 7/10. Bettman greets Brown by grabbing him by the arm, probably to prevent him from reacting to the contact by instinctively diving. From there, the Kings captain can’t figure out which way to hold the Cup, and Bettman is so disgusted he nearly knocks him over with it.

Great!

 

[elocomotive]

AWESOME

Definitely a reference to this article in that interview. Still one of my favorite magazine covers of all-time (though upon further review I could understand if it were not #1 in Canucks' fans hearts)...

 

[mattola]

epic cover. not so much the game result of that picture... but it is what it is

Definitely a reference to this article in that interview. Still one of my favorite magazine covers of all-time (though upon further review I could understand if it were not #1 in Canucks' fans hearts)...

 

[higgyfan4]

The Scene: Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh

Captain: Nicklas Lidstrom

Crowd Response: 8/10. Pretty much start-to-finish boos.

The Handoff: 1/10. It’s basically perfect, because god forbid Nicklas Lidstrom do one thing wrong in his entire career.

 

[mattola]

Down Goes Brown: Other hidden NHL injuries revealed

The entire Boston Bruins medical staff - In a weird coincidence, apparently all had a bad flu and had to stay home sick the day they taught the "People with holes in their lungs probably shouldn't be allowed to play hockey" lesson in medical school.

 

[dash]

Down Goes Brown: Other hidden NHL injuries revealed

I think DGB missed this one:

Rene Rancourt: Will be visiting Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama for Tommy John surgery due to excessive post-anthem fist-pumping.

 

[mattola]

Were Any Long-Term NHL Contracts a Good Idea? - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

 

[puckhead]

Down Goes Brown: Do's and Don'ts for your upcoming NHL arbitration hearing

 

[mooger_35]

I had a good chuckle at a number of these

How Bad Has Toronto's Offseason Been? - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

 

[mattola]

I had a good chuckle at a number of these

How Bad Has Toronto's Offseason Been? - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

great stuff

 

[dash]

I especially liked the reaction to the Dave Nonis extension...

 

[puckhead]

The Forgettable Final Years of 17 NHL Veterans - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

 

[mooger_35]

Down Goes Brown: Other cases of NHLers getting attacked by animals

Paul Bissonnette - Was also once attacked by an angry chipmunk who would have bit him on the hands if he had any.

Clayton Stoner - Is currently compiling a list of all the animals mentioned in this post and the best way to hunt them down and kill them.


probably would have chuckled more if Stoner was replaced with Booth but funny just the same.

 

[mooger_35]

DGB's take on the Sabres/Leafs line brawl

That Escalated Quickly: Your Guide to Toronto and Buffalo's Crazy NHL Preseason Brawl - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

 

[IPostedWhat]

Down Goes Brown: Phil Kessel's suspension hearing: The top secret transcript

 

[dash]

Down Goes Brown ‏@DownGoesBrown

Cool, I had the Sabres, Flyers, Devils and Oilers all losing on Pro-Line tonight! So let’s see, that means my $5 ticket will be worth…$5.03.

 

[mattola]

I had no idea

Five Huge NHL Moves You?ve Probably Forgotten: Part 2! «

Teemu Selanne Signs His Rookie Deal With … Wait, That Can’t Be Right

Selanne’s 1992-93 rookie season is one of the most amazing years in NHL history. He shattered the rookie scoring record, finishing with 76 goals and 132 points, and was an easy choice to receive the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. While that rookie year would end up being the only full season he’d play in Winnipeg, to this day, he’s quite possibly the most popular player in the history of the franchise.

Which is why it might surprise you to learn that Selanne didn’t sign his first NHL contract with the Winnipeg Jets. He actually signed with another Canadian team: the Calgary Flames.

The Jets had drafted Selanne in 1988, but still hadn’t managed to sign him when he decided to finally make the jump to North America four years later. Because of the league’s rules for drafted-but-unsigned European players, he was considered a restricted free agent. Any team could sign him, but the Jets would be given an opportunity to match.

The Flames pounced at the opportunity, presenting Selanne with a deal worth far more than anything the Jets had been willing to offer, including a then-massive $1.5 million bonus. He signed the offer sheet, and for a time, it seemed like the Jets would let him walk. Eventually, they did match the offer and retain Selanne’s rights, though they weren’t exactly happy about it.

Although it’s hard to imagine now, there was a time when the Flames’ offer sheet led to some bad blood between Selanne and Winnipeg fans. After all, who was this greedy Finnish kid who thought he deserved almost as much as Wayne Gretzky before he’d even stepped onto NHL ice? He’d better be worth it.

He was, as an 11-goal October proved. By March, he was doing this and all was forgiven. Two decades later, Selanne is still in the league, and still a hero in Winnipeg. The offer sheet has never been spoken of by a Jets fan again — except when they want to make a Flames fan cry.

 

[mattola]

Crap this is awesome too

Five Huge NHL Moves You?ve Probably Forgotten «

 

[forty_three]

Now That’s How You Protect Your Goaltender

NHL expansion drafts can be funny things. They typically involve complicated rules that even the franchises involved may not fully understand, and teams are often left scrambling to make deals to protect their players from being snapped up.

That was the situation the Sharks found themselves facing in 2000, when the NHL welcomed the Blue Jackets and Wild to the league. That year’s expansion rules dictated that teams would have to expose at least one goaltender with NHL experience, and it looked like San Jose would have to make the previous year’s third-stringer available. That shouldn’t have been a big deal — we were talking about a former ninth-round pick with just two career wins in 11 NHL games — but the Sharks still wanted to keep him.

So they got to work cutting side deals. They sent a ninth-round pick and a conditional pick to Columbus, and seventh- and third-rounders (plus Andy Sutton) to Minnesota. In exchange, both teams agreed not to take the Sharks’ young goalie.

Instead, the Wild and Blue Jackets spent the first rounds of the draft loading up on veteran goalies like Mike Vernon, Chris Terreri, and Rick Tabaracci (and in most cases, immediately trading them somewhere else for draft picks).

As for that young Sharks goalie with the two career wins, he turned out to be OK. It was a kid by the name of Evgeni Nabokov, and the next season he went on to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. He’d be the Sharks starter until 2010, recording the second-most wins of any goalie in that decade. Not bad for a guy the Blue Jackets or Wild could have had for free on their very first day in the league.

God Dammit MacLean.

The early tandem could have been Nabokov and Tugnutt.


Plus he chose Rick Tabaracci over Mike Vernon and Jamie MacLennan. On purpose.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Grantland Dictionary: NHL Edition «